Hello, started working on getting the bus back on the road for the summer this weekend. First off, it wouldn't start. Turning the ignition key made only a clicking sound. Looked like the starter was shot. Took the starter apart and tested the different functions and it looked like it turned but it didn't engage. Something wrong with the coil. (Actually our testing was wrong and it worked fine). Went and bought another starter which worked, installed it, same problem.. So, we pulled out the battery and hooked it up directly to the starter to eliminate anything in between. It started. Slowly we reconnected everything around and in between, testing positive at each step, until the battery was back in its place and everything was normal. IT STARTED... Arg. (I'm a systems manager, I like to know where the problem lies). The assumption now is that there is something intermittently wrong with the long cable which connects the battery to the starter and runs right down the length of the bus. I did have a problem with this cable a couple of years ago. The end of it broke off when we were changing the starter and we recrimped it. It was a little shorter but seemed to work fine otherwise. It's such a large cable, I have trouble seeing how it could have a "bad contact". Could it be altogether broken along the way? When we tested with the battery in the back, the "contact" which caused the bus to start was a small ring touching the battery pole on it's side, a *very* small surface. So even if the cable is missing some bits, there should be enough of it left to let current through.. Has anyone had problems with this cable? Do they rust? Is it a pain to change? Is it a mistake to get one second hand? Thanks for sharing your wisdom. Darie '86 Westy soon to be back on the road Fridge.. check Starter.. check Battery cable.. intermittent Swaying.. to do Rust.. to do Ugly decals.. to be removed |
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